When table tennis was invented, people started to get fat. Obese Britain could all be thanks to table tennis, the sport where not much physical exertion is required to achieve a ball bouncing result, the very same result you can get from more demanding sports such as basketball and regular tennis. At school, in PE, if you were ill, you had to play table tennis as opposed to having to perform gymnastics, or play hockey, or whatever else our cruel taskmaster had in store for us. When that rule came into play, I seemed to come down with a touch of Lazyitis every week, coincidently right before my PE lessons. It wasn't until a sick note was required to be shown before a table tennis match that I became a writer, realised my potential, and came to AceGamez. The rest is history!

Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis is a funny one. It's a risk, it's a gamble, but it's a game that seems to have stirred up quite a lot of attention just recently. The fact that the game is on sale for almost half the price of an original game is enough to tempt the majority, and the minority seem to have been sweetened with the addictive gameplay badge of approval that other publications have slapped on this new little title for the Xbox 360. Still, you've come to the wrong place if you're expecting a negative review, as because Rockstar's Table Tennis is the freshest, coolest game I've played for a long while. My only criticism could be that no overweight people feature in the game, and that Rockstar's version of table tennis seems to be a little more physically challenging than I remember it from my school days!

At first glance, it doesn't look like there are many modes in this cheaply priced title. Tournament matches are ranked matches, which you climb until you reach the end and have an ultimate face-off with an opponent who will score if you so much as blink an eye. Exhibition matches are unranked matches that you can play anytime, against AI characters of your choice, or with real life players who always seem to be sitting a little too close for comfort, in the way of your uninterruptible flow of table tennis concentration. These two modes are about all you have for your single player or offline multiplayer, although there is a superb and extensive training mode somewhere to be found in and amongst the clean menu system, as well as various Xbox Live modes that we'll cover later. However, if you think that Tournament Mode and Exhibition mode won't be enough to keep you occupied for long, then think again.

You see, after learning all there is to learn about the gameplay, and trust me, there is quite a bit to learn, you'll embark on either of these two modes, which, in essence do the same thing - they let you play table tennis. The only difference is the one I mentioned above; one is pick up and play, the other is a little bit more of a time investor. The high replay value comes from a few things. Firstly, actually mastering the gameplay is a task in itself, and even if you think you're a master of the AI, you won't be beating online veterans anytime soon, don't you worry about that.

Put in the simplest of terms, there are four different types of shots; shots that spin left, shots that spin right, shots with a backspin and the front spin volley shot. To put that certain spin on the ball, all you have to do is use the four coloured buttons on your 360 pad - and the colours play a vital role in countering your opponent too. Y, the top button, is backspin, A is a volley, the button on the right, B is a right spin shot, and the button on the left, X, goes to the left. Shooting with the correct shot alone can help you win the match; putting a backspin on the ball might offer some difficulty for your opponent if he or she misjudges the shot and shoots to early, for example. However, knowing this is like going into an exam only having revised for half of it. When your opponent shoots and passes back to you, they'll be putting spins on the ball too. Sometimes the best counterattack is to pass back with the same spin they've put onto it. Knowing what spin is on the ball is all done with colours. Autumn brown is the colour of Y - the backspin, and green is the colour of the volley. I hope you're taking notes.

So now you know how to shoot, you need to know how to focus. By holding your shoot button down before the ball comes to you, you fill the focus meter. So if you manage to get a good charge before each shot, without missing the shots, you'll be on your way to a full meter in no time. When the meter reaches the end, it goes into the level two and level three focuses, each one having a nastier effect on your opponent. By unleashing a fully charged focus shot, the whole games goes into bullet time, as you slice through the air with your bat and then make contact with the ball, shooting it towards your opponent with such force, then you watch them squirm as they desperately try to save the shot. It's moments like these that just make Table Tennis such a priceless experience.

You can play single player Table Tennis for hours, unlocking new characters and outfits, but if you fancy a challenge, don't be shy about heading online. Going head to head with some of the finest players in the land, expect to lose, but expect to have a bloody good time losing all the same. You can play with another person, head to head, you can play Timed Tournaments and go head to head when it's your turn, talking to others when you're not playing- or you can just go and watch others work up a sweat, with the nice, relaxing inclusion of a spectator mode.

The graphics in Rockstar's Table Tennis are absolutely amazing. I'm not a big fan of realism; I think it's overrated, as you can experience realism by simply going outside. However, you cannot help but be drawn in by what's on offer here. Seeing the characters move so realistically, experiencing the slow motion bullet time shots close up, watching the slightly pained expressions on your opponent's face; this could well be the most realistic looking sports game I've ever seen. Still, realism aside, it's the most attractive looking too; with diverse locations of the Table Tennis tables, some being in dark corners, other being in little stadiums, who'd have thought playing Table Tennis could ever have looked so good?

Rockstar never let us down in the sound department. A nice collection of music made the grain, a great blend of appropriate tunes fill menus, but not matches. For the matches, you'll hear the pure ambience of the ball bouncing back and forth - however, as your rallies become higher, a little drumbeat gets louder and faster to make the pace quicker, a subtle beat that adds just that bit more to the ambience. Commentary completes the package, but not your traditional FIFA commentary, just a plain voice saying things like, "China to serve," or, "Two one to the USA" - unfortunately no Rockstar innuendos, but a good sound package nevertheless.

Without going on about the amazing graphics, the addictive gameplay, and fantastic replayability in the form of unlockable characters and outfits, and of course, the online mode, I'm just going to say two words. Must have. For the price, I don't even know what you're doing sitting here reading my last words. Don't be lazy - pick up Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis for the 360 today!

Reviewed by Dexter Pearson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).